| WTO关于服务贸易的四种模式（英） |
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| 2007-09-20 21:29 文章来源：WTO |
| 文章类型：转载 内容分类：政策 |
Services in the GATS
The GATS contains the same definition of trade in services that is widely used in trade agreements, plus a number of general and specific obligations for WTO members, as well as provisions for the future liberalisation of trade in services. GATS Article I:2 outlines the four modes of trade in services (see Table 1).
In parallel with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which deals with the trade in goods, Article II of the GATS obliges all WTO Members to provide ‘most favoured nation’ (MFN) treatment to all other members. The principle of equality of treatment between members is thus established. However, unlike trade in goods, where it is a general principle, Article XVII:1 of the GATS allows members to ‘opt-in’ to the specific sectors and modes of supply to which the principle of national treatment for imports of services will apply. Thus, under the GATS, members may identify which sectors will or will not be subject to domestic preference. However, where specific commitments are made, Article VI:1 obliges members to implement them in a ‘reasonable, objective and impartial manner’. Finally, as set out in Article XIX:1, members are committed to entering into a series of negotiating rounds to achieve a ‘progressively higher level of liberalisation’ in market access beginning no later than 1 January 2000. These negotiations are currently being held within the Doha Development Round.
Multilateral in nature and comprehensive in scope, the GATS sets out the rules guiding recent trade agreements between the European Union (EU) and third (i.e. non-EU) countries, whether these are currently WTO members or are in the process of becoming members. Additionally, the more advanced free trade agreements (FTAs), such as the Association Agreement between the EU and Chile, have incorporated the more recent GATS sectoral agreements, such as that on basic telecommunications.
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